What an amazing duo! Giving the Sharath-Paul duo a run for its money 😤😤 Thanks for touring the station, I’ve never been to Mascot so it was really cool to get a background into the station’s problems and how they’ve now been fixed.
Thanks Sharath! - I'm sure we can do another collab this year to improve on our past performances! Elliot was a good boy, so didn't need the purple arrow treatment unlike you! 😜. Definitely worth checking out Mascot station and the local area. Its a wonderful example of high density development, with pedestrian friendly streets, bicycle lanes, and lots of places to hang out!
It’s an honour to be part of your video Paul! I had heaps of fun filming with you! Rumour has it that I’m still stuck on those bloody stairs… 🤣 Thanks for having me on your channel Paul and I hope that everyone enjoys this video and my video on the Track Inspection train! Cheers. :)
Hi Elliot, it was certainly a lot of fun, and it was a pleasure collaborating with you! We should do it again in a few months. Perhaps Green Square, as I noticed that had a new entrance too, and I think the stairs are even more silly there! Yes hopefully this video will send some new viewers your way, and thanks to your track inspective vehicle video, I now know the difference between a guard rail and a check rail!
Hey buddy you did a good job. But that A aspect on that tunnel signal is not an indicator to the Airport. That A means the signal is set to automatic, being run in permissive mode. It extinguishes once a signaller sits down at the NSR Panel at the ROC and begins operation of the panel. You're confused with the route indicator boxes found at such junction turnout signals such as the Y Link and other points around the network before a junction.
Amazing video guys! I actually live in Mascot and the construction of the new entrance and the Mascot Towers disaster really took a toll on everyone living nearby. It took nearly four years of delay, weather and COVID for the entrance to be completed. Love both your guys work and thanks for stopping by!
Thanks! - Yes construction projects all over Sydney got quite a hit during that time! It was fun to check this new entrance out, and its always nice to explore a different part of Sydney.
5:51 the “A” signifies it’s an automatic signal but can be switched remotely to become controlled signal from the operations centre :) there are many “A” light signals around the network but mainly in underground sections :)
@@tsetstransport hahaha I wasn’t sure!! :) meanwhile I loved the stair case moments going down to the platforms - I really am unsure who designed them that way and why!! It’s the same at green square too :)
Paul always looks so happy enjoying the new facilities and interest in the art and historical photos. As a Melbournian, its just cool to see the stations
Thanks! It's always fun to explore new parts of our transport network. I hope to spend some more time on Melbourne's rail network, once Sydney Metro opens.
I managed to check this station out recently. The design for the additional entrance and connection to the existing unpaid concourse was impressive. I was also caught by surprise by the patronage, surely a result of Transport absorbing the old charges passed to passengers previously as part of the PPP? My only criticism is some of the workmanship around paintwork and window frames as you climb the escalators to street level. @Paul I do enjoy your work and these new collaborations with other contributors. Great video guys, all the best.
HI Paul and Elliot. Another really interesting co-production. My only complaint is the sequence on the stairs should have been done in full Morris Dancing outfits, with bells. The aircraft depicted at 3:17 appears to be a Douglas DC-4 (developed during WW2 and widely used for commercial operations afterwards). The (pressurised) DC-6 is very similar, both have three bladed props, but the aircraft shown appears to have the DC-4's smaller engines, with the nacelles lacking a ring of 'blister' fairings just behind the ring of (square shaped) cowl flaps (these are in the open position to aid cooling while the engine is running on the ground). The train is probably on the Botany line, which originally ran across part of one of the old runways. Procedures existed for the runway to not be used when trains were crossing. However, a collision occurred in 1950 when a DC-3, delayed by an hour, at night and in bad weather, ran into a stationary train at about 70 mph. The train was carrying coal to the nearby Bunnerong Power Station. 10 coal trucks were pushed off the rails and damaged (the DC-3 was a tough old bird). A fire broke out, and the exit was blocked by flames. The flight attendant closed the exit and the 19 passengers escaped safely through an alternative emergency exit. Airport fire trucks arrived shortly afterwards and extinguished the fire. See - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18165029
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed! Humm...Morris Dancing outfits? Maybe next time! Thanks for the aircraft information. I was expecting a plaque near the pictures with further information, but that was nowhere to be seen! Yes I heard about the collision from someone when I did the Botany Line video. I think the Botany Line was rerouted after that! Thanks for the newsclip link! Its wonderful that this is on the internet now!
yep, airport staff don't get transport allowances so they're all forced to get off at Mascot and catch the 400 or 420 bus to work, not to mention anyone with a bag light enough to walk the 15 or 20 minutes to check-in, I do this almost every time I'm catching a flight, the weekly station airport fee cap is $33.84 with an Opal card, and that's on top of the usual $50 weekly cap, so unless they walk/bus it from Mascot it can cost an airport worker $60-$83 a week in travel
Yes that's right! There are even videos on RU-vid explaining how to get to the airport from Mascot by bus! It's a shame that Airport staff don't get a discount. It two or more people are travelling together, an Uber to the CBD is similar (or cheaper) than the train!
5:52 The "A over there" means that the signal is on "Automatic". Signals that are always on automatic are indicated by the two lights, upper and lower, being off-set. Signals that have upper and lower lights directly one over the other are manual, (or else, as in tunnels sometimes, there is not really enough space to offset them) but they can be switched to Automatic - in which case the white "A" is illuminated. This is important, because there are different rules about when a red signal can be passed, depending on whether it is automatic or manual. Another easy one to see is at the down end of Central Platform 25, where trains leave for Cronulla or the Southern Line, but not for the airport.
@@tsetstransport Yeah, I thought you might be joking, after all the time you've spent riding around as a guard, and on the Track Inspection Vehicle... but viewers might not know. Great collab, in any case !👍
Great video guys. I'm glad to see they've finally fixed the original escalators. They seemed to be broken every time I came to Sydney over the last 18 months.
Thanks Nathan, One was out of action on the day I filmed with Elliot, but when I returned about a week later to get a few more clips, they were all working.
It recently occurred to me that the stations on this line have separate platforms on either side of the rails rather than the usual single island platform in the middle . I have so far not been able to think of any other underground lines , in Australia at least , with this platform configuration , with the possible exception of the light rail stops at The Star and Pyrmont Bay ( at a stretch ) ! I participated in the public walk-through from Wolli Creek to the International station during construction , and what a great day it was ! There was even a vintage double decker bus to convey people back to Wolli Creek Station ! 👍. PS : My first impression of the stone finish on the walls was of a nod to the Stockholm Metro stations . Thinking about Pyrmont Bay light rail station reminded me of Perisher Valley Ski Tube station with regards to appearance and platform configuration , although this is a combination of side and island platforms , fed by a single line .
Hi Murray, Yes side platforms arranged this way are pretty unusual, and its probably because a single wide tunnel was bored, so that both tracks are within the same tunnel. That's less common these days with separate tunnels being bored for each track (for example on Sydney Metro). However, one underground station that has platforms on either side of the rails is Museum, and agains that probably because both tracks are within the same tunnel. That must have been fun to walk through the tunnels! A memorable day out for sure!
I use Mascot Station and catch a bus to Airport so I don’t have to pay the Surcharge. Did you know it is owned by Airport Link until 2030 when it will back in public hands which mean the surcharge for domestic and International will go
The pic of the aircraft with train is Sydney airport where they had a train line through the airport. I believe an Ansett aircraft that hit a bunch of coal wagons back in 1950.
Good seeing you and Elliott sharing a video. I did go to Mascot some time back, before carer days.I also avoided the Opals as I thought it was still the "over the top" fare coming out of there. I got the bus to or from Mascot, that day. I also avoided Opal at the Domestic and International train stops as well. Funny, those stairs, I would be avoiding, anyway. Cheers.
Hi Paul, thanks for another excellent video. I have never seen the Mascot line in action. My last visit to Sydney was in January 2000 and nothing had been opened back then of this line. Love the stairs and accompanying music there. Also, interesting seeing the escalator/lift race. I wonder if you could get a third person to try the stairs as well for another race!!! Anyway, take care. Rob in Melbourne Australia.
Incidentally, if I was the third person, may I would request to volunteer to take the lift please? I am getting a bit too ancient to tackle the stairs these days. Though going down the escalators, I could always try sliding down the hand rail, like some people used to do on the escalators at Circular Quay!!! LOL.
That was a good look at the Mascot station improvements. Elliot seems to know his away around trains and transportation and was a fine sidekick to you, Paul. On the abandoned apartments, i'm surprised those haven't been either repaired or torn down yet, since it's been over four years. No compensation to the former tenants as well It looks sad. Thanks for the updates on Sydney transport, from a viewer in Seattle.
Thanks - yes he certainly does, and it was fun to do this collab with Elliot! Yes the Mascot Towers saga has not been handled very well! Hopefully it will get resolved soon!
The "A" on the signal post above the double green signal indicates that the signal is in Automatic mode and can be passed at danger in certain circumstances, if the "A" is not lit up then the signal can NOT be passed at danger unless direct to do so by the signaller in control of that section.
The walls of the station are diaphragm walls, the concrete surface finish is from the concrete cast against the existing ground, that was later excavated to create the box for the new entrance. 1:35 the walls were sand blasted to expose aggregate and sealed with an anti graffiti coating which gives it the gloss affect.
Thanks very much for that detailed explanation James. Great to hear that its been designed to prevent graffiti, as well as having an interesting and unique gloss finish.
This video is an absolute masterpiece of a video, if you Paul and Elliot would ever like to film some freight trains especially a brand new freight only line that’s just opened, please feel free to visit Tamworth NSW any time you like as there has been a brand new freight line that opened in October last year running from West Tamworth yard to the brand new freight terminal at Westdale, QUBE logistics run 3 freight trains per week at a maximum length of 900m on Monday, Thursday and Friday
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it so much, and thanks for your amazing feedback. Is that new freight line part of Inland Rail? I do want to spend a few days in this area, going to Armidale, Moree and Werris Creek, as I've never been beyond Maitland!
I absolutely love the new entrance to the station, it was years in the making and there were many eyesore construction vehicles on Bourke Road and years of traffic disruption but it’s worth it in the end. It’s frustrating how many people still don’t use it and cross the road to then go back into the station, thus blocking traffic which defeats the purpose of the entry. Some people really can’t deal with change, can they?
It can take a while for people to figure these things out, but they will eventually! The Chalmers Street entrance at Central Station is still very quiet, even though its been open for almost 3 months!
For the goods train, yes, what is today the Port Botany freight line. As the Airport has expanded north, the line was moved further north after crossing Alexandra Canal. And of course, back then, there was no Port Botany, but that line ran to Bunnerong Power Station. Those wagons look like they are carrying coal. The loco would be a D50 class. In reference to that aircraft crashing into the goods train. Looking at an aerial photo from 1955 (5 years after the accident), no runway goes that close to the goods line, although there are taxiways that seem to cross it for aircraft parking. The 2 runways were paved by this time. Comparing images from 1943 and 1955, the railway line didn't move, and it didn't cross the main runway (as far as I can tell). The 1943 diagonal runway (grass? certainly not paved) finished short of the railway line.
Thanks for that Dave. Wonderful to hear about the history of the Botany Line and the Airport, and thanks for identifying the steam loco too! Someone else posted a news-snippet about that accident in the comments!
@@TransportVlog I did find out that there was a runway extension in 1945 that crossed the railway line. It seems that there was confusion between the control tower and the pilot/s. The control tower cleared the aircraft for one runway (11/29), but the pilot/s claimed they were given clearance for the runway that crossed the tracks (04/22). And then things didn't improve from there. Ansett Airways received compensation of £16500 and the railways got £485. Don't miss your train connection, fly Ansett (said the wags, apparently).
Hi Paul. Looks great. Any idea why the Randle Lane exit at Charmers St Central is closed? It only opened for a few days and has been locked ever since.
No I don't know the reason for that. I have a new Central Station ritual that involves checking the Randle Lane exit and then going to platform 12 to look at the trackbed for platform 13 & 14! Lots of long rails there now!
3:14 This looks like a DC 3 and those planes were used for freight and troop transportation during WWII however they later converted them all back into commercial airliners after the end of the war when they sold them all back to the airlines! Even Qantas had many of them in their fleet back then! :)
Yes, its definitely around that time. Someone else mentioned that it might be a DC4 or DC6, so you're definitely on the right lines. I used to make Airfix kits of WW2 aircraft when I was a kid, and I probably had a model of this plane!
@@TransportVlog Yup plus it also looks just like the Qantas DC 3 they had on display at the Moorabbin air museum! Apparently that DC 3 was used by the RAAF during the Second World War before then but sold at a bargain price to Qantas at the end of the war to then operate as a commercial airliner for the rest of it’s career! :)
Actually, the A in the signal actually means automatic, meaning the signal is controlled by a computer. If the A is not present, it means the controller is manually controlling the signal. I don’t think the A would mean airport because there are no switchover tracks and the other parts of the network use A for automatic.
I’ve lived on the Airport Line since 2010 and the difference in passenger volumes getting on and off at Mascot (and Green Square) once the absurd access fee was removed was immediately obvious. Prior to that, they were virtually as quiet as the Airport stations are at non peak flight times!
Yes, its' amazing how much removing the station access fee changed things. Apparently the airport stations access fee will go in 2030, when the PPP scheme ends.
@@TransportVlogthe sooner the better, Paul. It’s such a bad look for visitors arriving into Sydney on an early morning flight - an appallingly overpriced ticket for a train crammed full of workers on their morning commute to work. Great first impression!!!
Hi Donna, glad you enjoyed it. I didn't notice where the pick up and drop off points were for Mascot Station, but I'll remember to look out for this, for future videos.
Yes, but Wolli Creek was never owned by ALC, and its original intention was to provide a closer interchange to the Airport Line for those on the Illawarra Line.
Great job. All these stations don't have a lot of seating. Especially for the elderly. Looks great the stations but I see people sitting on the ground.
FYI because you didn't mention it. The reason why the lift opens up onto the intermediate concourse is because there was provisions for shops. Space has been removed and use for other things I guess. Same with green square it has space for 8-9 shops on its upper concourse and they are in clear view but never used. One day maybe.
Yes I was wondering why the lift stopped on the intermediate concourse! There is certainly some space that could be used for retail, especially on the opposite side to the platform escalators.
As for the wall finish, I didn't find anything specific - "During March, the Station Upgrade team will be undertaking works on the diaphragm retaining wall, creating an architectural finish. This will involve a combination of high-pressure jetting and concrete surface preparatory works". The construction of the diaphragm wall involved filling the excavated hole with a polymer to stabilise it. This polymer was pumped out as concrete was poured into the bottom of the excavation via a pipe. So maybe the finish has something to do with the polymer? Just a guess.
Patronage probably increased when access fee was scrapped as it is way cheaper to alight the train here and catch the 420 bus to the airport than to take train to airports.
Yes I do remember reading that somewhere! 35th did seem a bit low, but when you consider some of the busier stations further west such as Parramatta, Blacktown, Strathfield, Epping, Liverpool, Bankstown etc, if probably is about right! Good to see that you're doing videos again! Do get in touch if you ever fancy meeting up or doing a collab.
That unfinished rough concrete-esque surface looks like it will be a pain to remove graffiti from. Wonder how it will look with 8 layers of off-grey latex paint over it lol.
Graffiti doesn't seem to be much of a problem on the busier stations. At Central Station, parts of Central Walk has been open for over a year now, and no signs of any graffiti. - Definitely still very much an issue on the rail corridor though!
The plastic rock walls are most likely made from cast resin. Rocks and other surfaces are replicated using a rubber mold. Polyester resin with colorants and texturing material is poured into the mold and the rock surface and shape is duplicated. This same method is also used to create rocks on model railways except at a smaller scale. If you look carefully, you may see some duplicate shapes. This can't be helped even if the "rocks" are rotated or flipped around.
Actually no. The walls are the actual structural concrete walls of the station. The patterning of the walls is a result of the building process where the walls are cast in a trench cut into the ground via the so called diaphragm wall process. The walls have simply been cleaned up and exposed as the designers thought they were interesting and by not cladding them there are cost and environmental savings !
@@garthdavies3651 I lost my other comment I wanted to edit... GRR! I was going to say that the sealant that was put on the concrete makes the walls look like they were cast from rubber molds. I agree this is a cost and environmental savings.
Thanks@@Clavichordist and @garthdavies3651. It definitely felt more like a mold than real rock. Hopefully someone involved in the project will shed some light on this. I couldn't find any information online. It looks good though, and you can can see some exposed rock when looking straight ahead from the top of the lower escalators.
It would be interesting to see what removing the station access fee made to revenue. It sounds like the increase in patronage of over 120% would have generated greater revenue than the revenue generated by the access fee that made trips 80% more expensive with the result of the underutilisation of a billion dollar asset. Just another example of public/private partnerships failing the public.
Yes interesting point! I suppose it depends on what these extra passengers did before. Were they not using public transport or using other modes such as buses or other nearby stations, which meant that revenue was coming in another way.
The Airport Line Paul opened on the 21st of May year 2000 and I'm surprised that Elliott is able to walk around and film on his phone while at work because my work wouldn't let me make videos on how we weld metal together and make the material as for my work I do metal fabrication and my work made those Metal panels for the Bathroom toilets for the barrangaroo Sydney Metro station
Yes it's tricky to film when at work, as I guess employers are afraid of sensitive information ending out on the web. I was half-expecting one of the Mascot station staff to ask us what we were doing, but they didn't which was good. I will look out for the metal panels in the toilets when Barangaroo Station opens. They seemed a little unfinished at the community open day.
@@TransportVlog oh right under the apartments, i should check it out, it’s great they’re investing all of this money, their renovations are really up scale and architecturally designed. I’m glad of that, im just concerned theyre paying all of these useless people to lead the project and get paid 500k to $1m a year for nothing
@@Soundmaster91 ok labor shill except the previous government has been gone for nearly 2 years, so I hardly see how they had any influence in what is recently completed work.
Its still early days for the new government! These projects take years to plan and build. I'm pleased to see at least one extra station being planned for Sydney Metro West though.
We're lucky the previous government has such a huge impact on transportation in our state. If it wasnt for their vision we might not even have this upgrade to Mascot, so I wouldn't complain about what you feel looks like cheap touches.
Its all great for new massive entrances, but the width of the platforms on the airport line are comically narrow. Not fit for purpose right now let alone future proofed.
@@ranger8237 trains stopping at airport stations are packed as it is. Removing the fee would just make it impossible for flyers to even get on a train, particularly in the peak. Stupid suggestion
@@ranger8237 Yeah i know. Its just SO frustrating, it almost takes taking a train to the airport financially impractical. If you are buy yourself, depending on distance, It may or may not be cheaper than uber. If you are travelling with 2 or more passengers, its almost certain to be more expensive. What an excellent idea for public transport. The government really just needs to take one for the team and pay out the contract.
